40 Day Journey of Prayer - Day 20
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:12
Happy Friday, everyone. I can't type a single word without acknowledging how powerful these few weeks of prayer have been. Chris has done such a great job of spotlighting the power of prayer without making the practice of prayer overwhelming. I've been encouraged and challenged each morning when I open up my Bible and my prayer book.
Today's passage and reading is another just as powerful but also simplistic. That's not a slight or a dig. I love simplifying, and Paul briefly states that devoting oneself to prayer means being watchful and being prayerful.
We have an Enemy, ladies. It will do us zero good to ignore that fact. However, we don't have to view our Enemy with fear. We can acknowledge his craftiness while celebrating our God's victory. In every place that God has allowed the Enemy to have any ground, He's planning to use it for our good and for His glory. Be on guard today. Notice where you're tempted to focus on things that cause bitterness, rage, or anger. Recognize where uncertainty leaves space for fear or anxiety. Call on the Lord for help and assistance. Since the victory already belongs to Him, why don't we just wave the white flag and give it to Him in the beginning. I've shared this before, but I want to share it again. This song/message has helped me tremendously. When I begin to notice that I'm struggling to keep my guard up, I play this and go on a walk. Immediately, I begin to SEE God's power over my enemy again.
Now, my life has really experienced more of a transformation through he second portion of this scripture. Again, it's a simple practice, but it's life changing. To be a devoted follower of Christ, we must be grateful.
When I was a young mother, I had a mentor share with me one of her strategies for prayer. She prayed for her family while she did her laundry. I'll never forget watching her talk about how much she HATED folding clothes. So, she began to pray prayers of gratitude over each of her family members while she folded their clothes. I began doing the same thing, and I still practice it today. I have a vivid memory of standing in Caleb's room one morning, folding the laundry with an unhappy heart, but choosing to thank God for the clothing He'd provided while I folded Caleb's little Gap toddler jeans. There are still times that I have to remind myself to pray thankfully during a laundry session only this time I'm thanking God for athletic ability, family experiences on a field, or tough lessons learned in a loss while I fold a giant uniform instead of tiny blue jeans. It's still a transformational process.
So, let's devote ourselves to prayer today. Do you need to call out the Enemy trying to steal joy in your life? Do you need to give thanks to a God that's bigger than any disturbance? Let's do it below. I think we'd all be blessed to read and experience the prayers of devotion throughout the day.
God, the One who works, You are powerful in every way. We confess that too often we focus on the Enemy in our life without acknowledging Your power over him. That misguided focus leads us to being trapped in a cell of ingratitude. Today, we want to follow Paul's instruction to be watchful and grateful, because You are worthy of our devotion. Move in us today with power and might. Transform our hearts to be more like You. Amen.
For further reading: 1 Peter 5:5-11; Psalm 100:4-5
